


What It Means To Be A Family

by Book_freak



Series: Home [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bi Daisy, Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Gen, Home Sequel, Philindaisy family, Series of Oneshots, The sequel that no one asked for, both pretty mild, but just in case, tw: allusions to abuse, tw: mentions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-03-10 18:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13506867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_freak/pseuds/Book_freak
Summary: A series of oneshots revolving around Phil, Melinda, and Daisy becoming more and more of a family.





	1. Fight

**Author's Note:**

> So I totally changed up this fic so that the whole Home 'series' didn't get too disjointed :D This is just gonna be a series of oneshots set between Home and SHIELD, it's probably a good idea to read Home first :)
> 
> Also these aren't necessarily going to be in any particular order.

When Phil Coulson was worried about something it was sometimes difficult to tell whether it was actually serious or not. Sometimes Natasha had relapsed, sometimes he couldn't find his Captain America trading cards. It was an even guess when he walking into Maria's office what his problem would be.

Seeing Phil hurry into her office wringing his hands didn't worry Maria. He did that most days.

But when May followed closely behind him, her breath visibly quick, Maria sat up. “What is it?” She asked, looking between them. “Is it Daisy? Is she okay? What happened?”

“We don't know.” Phil said, clasping his phone in one hand. “The- the school just called, we have to go.”

“What happened?” Maria repeated.

The corners of May's mouth tightened. “She got in a fight.”

* * *

Daisy knew that no one was going to hurt her right now. She knew that the subtle throb of her eye and arm were far from the worst she had ever been hurt, and that the people who had done it were gone, being coddled by their dumb parents. She knew that, so why was she still curled up in the corner of the gym?

She had heard the vice principal try to get her to come with her, but she hadn't moved. Couldn't move. Why couldn't she move? Her heart was hammering in her chest and she couldn't make it stop. She didn't know what to do.

Daisy twitched when she heard the gym door open, but she didn't look up. That visceral fear inside her expected to see... them. She knew that she wouldn't, that the odds were almost totally against it, but there was still that tiny chance. The ache of her bruises reminded her of them. All of them.

So she didn't look up, didn't move from the ground until a familiar hand was extended to her.

Daisy blinked at it for a moment, then gave a shaky sigh and let May pull her to her feet.

“Let me see.” May said softly, waiting for Daisy's nod before she touched her face to see the black eye and rolled up her sleeve to see the pale bruise there. She smiled gently, giving Daisy a nod. “You'll be okay.” She assured, but found herself pausing at how Daisy was staring at the floor and hunching her shoulders. “Daisy? Are you okay?”

Daisy nodded repeatedly, but the tears had finally started to sting at her eyes. Like they'd just been waiting for May to come and get her. Like she had been waiting to fall apart.

Melinda pulled Daisy into her arms. “It's okay.” She murmured, letting Daisy cry into her shoulder. “You're okay honey.”

Daisy tried to speak but found herself hiccupping instead. “I- I- I'm...”

“Shhh, calm down.” May hushed, stroking her hair. “We're here, don't worry. Focus on my breathing.”

Daisy tried. She closed her eyes and tried to forget the pain, instead turning her attention to May's breathing. The slow feeling of her fingers stroking her hair. She forced herself to hold her breath for a moment, then altered her breathing pattern to mimic May's and felt herself calming down. “I-I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry about that right now.” May murmured. “The important thing is that you're okay.”

Those two said that so often that Daisy had started to believe them. “M'fine.” She mumbled, pulling away.

May smiled. “You are.” She agreed. “Phil's talking to your principal, we're going to take you home.”

“'kay.” Daisy mumbled.

Melinda caught the sound of two men arguing coming closer and she gently ushered Daisy out of the back door, towards the parking lot.

“No, you can talk to her on Monday!” Phil's voice said firmly. “Daisy was hurt on your staff's watch, and now my wife and I are taking her home for the day!”

“Mister Coulson, it's this school's policy-”

“Is it this school's policy to let kids beat each other up?!” Phil asked, entering the gym just as Melinda and Daisy left through the back. “I'm taking my daughter home, she'll be back for class next week if her injuries aren't too severe.”

Daisy looked back as those words hit her. She knew that she was Phil and Melinda's daughter now. She'd never been more scared than on their day in court, but it had only been a couple of months since then. She wasn't used to the warm feeling it elicited yet.

May nudged her gently. “Come on.” She whispered. “We can wait in the car. I've got a first aid kit.”

Daisy nodded quietly.

* * *

The ride home was quiet. Phil tried to talk to Daisy, to get her to tell them what happened or to distract her, but neither worked. She just sat quietly in the back seat, staring out the window. She was scared and he knew that Melinda could see it too. She wasn't the biggest talker though.

After a few minutes of trying to engage Daisy, Phil fell silent. She didn't need to talk right now, he reminded himself. Daisy needed space sometimes.

When they got home Phil busied himself making tea for the three of them while Daisy changed her clothes. He was glad to see her putting some ice on her eye, though it was far from the worst black eye he had seen.

Daisy sat quietly on the couch, waiting for them to say something. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. She knew that they wouldn't hurt her, Phil and Melinda weren't like that. But she knew that they must be angry with her.

May sat down next to her, leaving a little space so that Daisy didn't feel crowded. “Did you start it?”

Daisy swallowed. “No.”

Phil sat down on her other side. “Why get involved?”

She looked down, shame clutching at her heart. “They- they were saying things.” Daisy said, forcing herself not to get upset again. “Felicity told them to stop- and they hit her.” Bile climbed her throat. “I had to- I had to stop them.”

Phil put a hand on her back. “So you were protecting your friend.”

The last word sent a sick feeling through her, but Daisy nodded. “She- she was protecting me first.”

May was getting a sinking feeling in her stomach. Some kids at school had been making fun of Daisy and Felicity. She thought she had an idea as to why, but she didn't say anything just yet. “You give as good as you got?”

Daisy managed a smirk. “Better.” She said, a hint of pride in her voice.

May smiled. “That's my girl.”

Phil rolled his eyes good-naturedly, happy to see his girls smiling. “We're not meant to encourage our kid to fight Melinda.”

“Talk shit get hit, Phil.”

Phil snorted. “Now you're teaching her to swear.”

“She's fifteen, she knows that word.” May sobered, putting a hand on Daisy's shoulder. “We love you. Nothing will ever change that.” She said. “You know that.”

Daisy smiled and had just opened her mouth to reply when there was a knock at the door.

The three looked at each other, confused, before Phil stood and went to open the door. He resolved that if it was any teacher or administrator from that school he would close the door in their face.

The person at the door didn't particularly surprise him. “Felicity!” He greeted, holding the door open with a smile. “Come in! Have you put something on that cheek?”

Felicity smiled at him. “Oh- thank you Mister Coulson, the nurse gave me some cream- Sorry to come around so- without calling first, I just- I wanted to make sure Daisy was okay, if- if she wants to see me.”

Daisy stood up. “Hey.” She said softly. “I- are you okay? I couldn't see...” When Felicity stepped around Phil, Daisy got that pang in her heart. She was hurt. All because Daisy wouldn't stand up for herself. Stand up for them.

She wasn't sure who hugged first, but the next thing Daisy knew Felicity was in her arms. “Are you okay?” Felicity whispered. “I wanted to stay but they wouldn't let me.”

“I'm- I'm fine.” Daisy stuttered. “Are _you_ okay?”

Felicity shook her head. “I'm okay.” She assured, pulling away. “You were awesome. I thought Richard was gonna pee himself.”

Daisy laughed softly. “I thought he did.”

May stood. “Would you like some tea, Felicity?”

Felicity smiled and nodded. “That'd be great, thanks.”

May approached as Phil boiled the kettle. She examined Felicity's bruised hands, noting how her thumb appeared to have been dislocated and subsequently reset. “I should teach you how to throw a punch.” She said. “Or Daisy could.”

Felicity smiled sheepishly. “We didn't really plan this.” She muttered, looking down. “I'm the one who started it, Daisy was just trying to protect me.”

Phil put a fresh cup of tea on the kitchen counter for her. “From what we've heard you two were doing a good job of protecting each other.”

Melinda noticed the slight blush that spread across Felicity's cheeks.

“I guess we did.” Felicity said softly, shooting Daisy what could only be described as a bashful smile.

Before Phil could notice Felicity's demeanour and question it, May stepped between them and took her hand. “Like this.” She said, showing her how to hold her fist. “Thumb on the outside.”

Felicity grinned. “I knew that thumb thing wasn't normal.”

May rolled her eyes, smirking as she heard Daisy giggle. These two were good for each other. She turned to sit on a stool and saw the confused look Phil shot her. God he was oblivious. No wonder it took him ten years to ask her out. “So how was CS today?” She asked, again diverting Phil's attention. “Did you show up Mister Williamson again?”

Felicity snorted into her tea and Daisy grinned. “Depends on what you mean by showing him up.”

Phil smiled good-naturedly. He was glad to see Daisy brightening up a little, even if he wanted to crack some heads over what had happened at school. His daughter had suffered enough.

His daughter. The thought still brought forth that bubbling happiness within. “Proving that you know more than him.” He said, making the two of them laugh again.

“It's too hard _not_ to do that!” Daisy said. “We just do things better, it's not our fault people notice.”

Phil rolled his eyes and looked to Melinda. She was smiling too. “She gets this from you, you know.”

“You're right, she does.” May said, “I'm damn proud of that.”

Daisy blushed slightly and looked down. She wasn't used to people being proud of her, but it was a feeling she liked.

Phil took a seat on the arm of the couch, nodding to the chairs at the table to encourage Felicity to take a seat too. “You two be careful, okay?” He said. “Hacking government mainframes won't always end as well as it did the first time.” His words were light, but the warning was clear. Daisy knew that Phil and Melinda couldn't protect her from everything, no matter how hard they tried.

“We're being careful.” Daisy assured. “Haven't hacked any spy organisations, right?”

Felicity smiled. “Right.” She confirmed. “Only the state government.” When Phil narrowed his eyes she giggled. “Kidding.”

May shook her head to herself. These two were going to cause a lot of trouble together. But then all good couples did.

* * *

Daisy gave Felicity a brief hug goodbye after walking her back down the stairs to their building. Part of her felt like Phil and Melinda were watching her somehow. Waiting to see what she would do.

Felicity squeezed her tightly. “I'm glad you're okay.” She murmured. “Sorry I got you hurt.”

Daisy smiled. “We got each other hurt.” She said. “So I think we're square.” She bit her lip. “I-I'm sorry I didn't stand up to those guys.”

Felicity shook her head. “No, it's okay, I get it. You don't have to be sorry.”

Daisy felt herself tremble. “I am though.”

Felicity smiled, then pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You're forgiven.” She murmured, pulling away. “I-I really need to get home.”

Daisy felt her cheeks flush. “Y-yeah. I'll see you on Monday.”

“Count on it.” Felicity grinned. “You're really cute when you blush.” She said, before darting away.

Daisy buried her face in her hands and smiled helplessly. She loved this feeling. This giddy, happy feeling. It was worth a million black eyes.

She waited for a minute before going back upstairs. Her parents were spies after all. They'd notice her blushing in a heartbeat. It was hard to keep anything from them.

They always figured it out.

That thought stopped her right before she entered the apartment. They always did figure things out eventually. They'd figure this out too.

Daisy wasn't scared of telling them, not really. She knew that they would love her no matter what. She just didn't want them to think less of her. For this to be something they needed to forgive or overlook. But if it was, it would change her relationship with them forever.

She shook herself. More than anything else Phil had taught her to be honest, and May had taught her to be brave.

She loved them. She wanted to tell them.

She was still scared.

Daisy took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The first thing she saw was May sitting at the counter with a glass of scotch. She nodded in greeting, nudging one of the stools so that Daisy could sit. Phil was cooking, though what she couldn't see. Probably pasta.

He smiled when he saw her. “Hey honey,” He said, “Want a lemonade?”

Daisy shook her head and sat on the stool. “No thanks. I- uh. I need to talk to you guys.”

May cocked her head, putting down her glass. “Is everything okay?”

Daisy nodded, trying to ignore that little voice screaming at her not to say it. “Yeah, I- everything's fine, I just... I'm bi.” She swallowed. “Bisexual, I like guys and girls, and I... It's who I am, and- I hope you don't think less of me.” Her heart was hammering in her chest, but at least she'd said it. It was out there now, _she_ was out now.

Now she just needed to know what _they_ would say. If they were disappointed with her. Daisy stared at the counter, waiting for them to say or do something.

May's arms wrapped around her gently. “I'm proud of you.” She murmured. “I know how scared you must have been to tell us.”

Daisy sighed against her, her arms curling up to her chest. “Are you mad?”

The question pulled Phil out of his stupor. “Oh, Daisy, no.” He said, rounding the counter so that he could hug her too, hesitating until she fell against him. “No, we're not mad.” He felt her tremble. “I'm glad you told us. We love you, no matter who you end up being .”

Daisy swallowed. “This isn't, like, a phase or anything.” She said. “It's who I am.”

“Oh no, that's not- that's not what I meant.” Phil murmured. “Sorry, poor choice of words. I just mean... don't be scared to tell us things like this. We love you for the person you are.”

Daisy smiled softly, finally melting entirely into the hug. “Sap.” She muttered.

She felt May laugh against her and Phil huff. “You should have more respect young lady.”

Daisy snorted. “You should earn it old man.”

“Ooohh, sassy.” He grinned, “You’d better watch it or I'll put mushrooms in your pasta from now until the end of time.”

Daisy gasped. “You _wouldn’t!_ ”

Phil chuckled. “Oh, I would. Just ask Melinda, I can hold a grudge.”

May rolled her eyes, but there was laughter in her voice when she spoke. “The pot's boiling over.”

“Crap!” Phil yelped, darting over to turn down the heat.

Daisy snuggled a little closer into May's embrace before she knew she would have to pull away.

“You did good.” May whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair.

Daisy smiled shakily. “Thanks mom.” She said quickly, before she could regret it.

May's breath caught in her throat at the word, her heart skipping a beat. She still wasn't used to this. Being a mom, even if it wasn't usually in name. She swallowed. “I love you.”

Daisy squeezed her tightly. “You too.”

It wasn't until all three of them were curled up on the couch after dinner that May felt the need to bring up Daisy's coming out. She needed Daisy to feel safe more than she wanted to push.

Still. They had ice cream now and the TV was on some late night comedy show. They could talk.

She turned the volume down a little and turned to Daisy. “So. Felicity?”

It was almost funny how quickly Daisy's expression changed to a wide-eyed, deer in headlights look.

She stared at May, trying and failing not to blush. “I- uuh- I mean, we're- we're... um.” An affectionate smile coloured her face and she surrendered. “Yeah, we're... I don't know. We're figuring it out, I guess.”

Phil smiled. “That's good.” He said. “You're good together.”

May's expression darkened. “Is that what happened today?”

Daisy swallowed. “I wasn't- I didn't lie about what happened.” She said stoutly.

Phil shook his head, putting his hand gently over hers. “We didn't say you did, it's okay.”

Daisy sighed, closing her eyes for a moment to calm down. She knew she was being defensive, and it took real effort to remind herself that Phil and May were always on her side. It was hard to accept. “Yeah.” She whispered. “Some guys- they saw us, holding hands I guess, and they were saying things...” Disgust clawed at her throat. “I- I just wanted to go, but Felicity didn't wanna take them calling us… that.”

Coulson sighed softly. “You didn't do the wrong thing.” He said. “It's okay if you don't want to fight every time.”

Daisy nodded. “Okay.”

“But we're glad you know how.” May said. “It could have gone a lot worse.”

Daisy managed a smirk. “You should have seen them.” She said.

“I'm sure you were great.” Melinda murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

The three fell silent, watching TV for several minutes.

Once the show rolled to a conclusion Phil sat up suddenly, as if just realising something. “Oh, we have to have Felicity over for dinner!” He exclaimed, looking between the two of them. “I can make nachos, that'd be fun, right?”

Daisy smiled a little, concern tinting her face. “You're not gonna go all... 'what are your intentions', are you?”

Phil snapped his fingers. “You caught me.”

Daisy spluttered a laugh and May grinned. “He's not going to let it go.” She said, nudging Daisy in the ribs. “You can do it the easy way or the hard way.”

Daisy shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Yeah, Phil could be embarrassing and May was annoyingly perceptive, but they loved her and wanted her to bring her girlfriend around for dinner.

She loved them for that.

* * *

Phil wasn't sure what tipped him off. Maybe it was how quickly Melinda had hugged Daisy, how she seemed to have a response ready when Daisy told them she was bisexual. Maybe it was a lot of things, but by the time she curled up against his chest in bed that night, he was certain. “You knew,” He said. “Didn't you?”

She looked up at him, surprised. “Yeah.” Melinda murmured. “I did.”

Phil looked down. “Did she tell you?” Was tonight all because Daisy was scared of him? When had she told May?

“I figured it out.” May said softly. “Daisy wears her heart on her sleeves, it was clear she liked Felicity.” A smirk coloured her face. “She's almost as obvious as you.”

“Hurtful.” He said jokingly, and they both laughed.

After a moment, Phil sighed. “Why didn't you tell me?” Did Melinda really think he wouldn't accept Daisy? Was that it?

“It wasn't my secret to tell.” She murmured. “I didn't want to take that decision away from her, to tell us.” Melinda hesitated. “I know you don't like secrets, but I'm not sorry for this one.”

“No, I understand.” He said. “I guess I just- I really put my foot in my mouth earlier, and I was worried that- that you'd think I wouldn't be okay with it.”

May rolled her eyes. “Phil.”

“I know, I'm being stupid.”

“Uh huh.”

He groaned. “I just- I froze and you were so good right away and said all the good parenting stuff, I felt so useless. I didn't even know about Felicity!”

May grinned. “Have we been in some fight to be the alpha parent this whole time and you never told me?”

“What- no! That's not-” Phil sighed. “I should just... shut up.”

May rolled her eyes again, sitting up so that she could look at him. “Daisy knows that you love her. So you worded a sentence wrong and froze up a little when she told you something pretty big about herself. That doesn't mean you're a bad parent. That's little stuff.”

Phil sighed. “Little stuff matters with Daisy though.” He mumbled.

Melinda smiled. “You're right, it does. Like how you let her choose the channel after dinner and we had ice cream for dessert. And how you let her stay up later than usual.”

Phil shrugged awkwardly. “It's not a school day tomorrow.” He muttered. “Besides she- she had a rollercoaster of a day. I'm proud of her.”

“Me too. She kicked those guys asses.”

“She did.” Phil said warmly. “Just like her mom.”

Melinda looked down. “It’s still weird hearing it.”

“I know.” He murmured, letting his fingers drag through her hair. “I feel it too. But she's our kid now, and we're her parents. No matter what.”

“Yeah.”


	2. Mom And Dad

Daisy's grades tended to swing sometimes. Phil knew that she was better at some subjects than others and that bad grades were part of life. He did everything in his power to show her that she wasn't useless or stupid because she didn't get a good grade in Geography, or because Spanish sometimes gave her trouble. As long as she was trying, as long as she was learning and going to school and having the chance to be a kid, he didn't care what her grades were.

However, when she came home from school one day looking incredibly beaten down and sullen, slamming her report down on the counter before running to her room, Phil knew something was wrong.

He had just started looking for his glasses when two arms snaked around his middle. “Everything okay?” May asked, her wet hair cold against his neck.

“Not sure.” Phil muttered. “Daisy seemed upset. I wanna give her some time to cool off before I talk to her.”

May's eyes found the report in his hand. “C minus?”

He shrugged, “She has trouble with some subjects, you know that.”

She shook her head. “Not with Computer Science.”

“What?!”

Melinda hummed, pointing to the line. “See?”

Phil frowned. “She's had problems with that teacher before. Mister Williamson.”

May took the report, her eyes narrowing. “Hm.”

Despite his anger on Daisy's behalf, Phil grinned. “Tone it down.” He teased. “No need to go full on mama bear just yet.”

She huffed. CS was Daisy's favourite subject. It had taken her and Phil a long time to get her to be confident enough in herself to admit that she was good at it. And she wasn't just good, she was great. A prodigy even.

But now some jackass teacher wanted to take all that away. She knew how this worked all too well. He saw a young kid with hard-earned confidence and raw talent and thought that she needed knocked down a peg.

Seeing the anger bubbling just beneath the surface of Melinda's expression, Phil murmured. “I think I should talk to her.”

“Good idea.” May muttered. Daisy didn't react well to anger from them, even now.

Phil kissed her gently. “I love how protective you are of her.”

May shrugged. “She's my kid.”

“Yeah.” Phil said with a smile. “She is.”

He walked to Daisy's door, loudly enough that she could hear his footsteps, and knocked. “Daisy?” He called. “Can I come in?”

Phil waited patiently for several seconds before hearing a quiet, “Yeah.”

He pulled the door open and smiled gently. “Hi.”

Daisy was sitting on her bed, knees curled up to her chest and her toy labrador in her arms. “I'm sorry.”

Phil approached, hesitating when he reached the bed looking to her for permission before sitting down. “For what?”

She swallowed. “I'm meant to be good with computers, and...”

“Hey, you are good with computers.” Phil said. “Nothing this teacher says can change that.”

Daisy trembled for a moment. “I wasn't trying to show off, I just- did more cos I was bored but then he said I hadn't done what he asked and- docked my marks in front of everyone.” Angry tears burned her eyes. “I just- I _know_ what I'm doing but he just tells me to shut up and do what he says and I can't- I can't _take_ it!” She punched her pillow, trying to keep from crying.

When she looked up, Phil was watching her, one hand held out tentatively. She sighed and shuffled closer, leaning against him and letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Phil pressed a kiss to her hair. “Is this why you've been so grumpy lately?”

Daisy hesitated. “He's just- it's been getting worse.” She muttered. “I didn't tell you cos I didn't think it was a big deal. I'm sorry.”

Phil shook his head. “It's okay.” He murmured. “You don't have to tell us everything.”

She pulled at her hair. “I thought I could take him, that I could- could just _deal_ with it, but I can't. I just- can't.”

“It's okay.” Phil said again, squeezing her shoulders gently. “You don't need to be able to handle it all. That's what we're here for.”

Daisy sighed, resigned. “So what are you gonna do?” This was how it worked. The adults took over.

Phil chewed on the inside of his lip. “What I'd _like_ to do is organise a parent teacher conference.” He said carefully. “What do you think?”

Daisy's chest started to constrict. Confrontation. That was hard. Confrontation meant that he could hit back. “I- I don't know.”

“I understand that you don't want to make a fuss.” Phil said. “But you didn't start this. He did. He's done things that a teacher should never do to a student, and you are perfectly justified to be angry and want him to stop.”

“But what if he doesn't?” Daisy whispered. “What if he just- uses it as an excuse to get worse?”

He sighed gently. “Then we'll pull you out of his class.” Phil murmured. “And find you a private tutor who can actually teach you.”

Daisy said nothing, looking down.

“We won't do this if you don't want to.” Phil said. “But we're on your side here. No matter what Mister Williamson says, we know that you're a great kid, and that you're amazing with computers.”

She bit her lip. “You mean it?”

Phil smiled and pulled her into a proper hug. “Of course.” He whispered. “Also I'm pretty sure if we put him and Melinda in the same room she'll glare him into a corner within five seconds.”

Daisy snorted. “I love you guys.” She murmured into his shoulder. “I just- I'm scared.”

“We don't have to organise this meeting now.” Phil said, pulling back. “If you'd rather we left it a couple of weeks, we can do that too. I just don't like seeing you in this torn up over something that you love so much.”

Daisy drew a calming breath. “No, let's do it.” She said. “I- things started kind of uncomfortable with Mister Williamson, but it's only getting worse. It- it won't get better unless I do something to make it better.”

Phil smiled. “I'm proud of you.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I know how hard this is for you.”

“It is.” Daisy said. She had been working on admitting things like this in therapy. “But it's okay. I have you guys.”

“Always.”

* * *

Melinda was silent for the entire drive to the school, and Phil was slightly nervous. “Look, I know you're mad, but we should at least try to start this off diplomatically, right?”

Her grip on the steering wheel loosened to be a little less white. “I'll try.”

Phil hesitated before putting a hand on her leg. “Thank you.” He murmured. “And I love how much you love her.”

May sighed. “We've interrogated terrorists.” She said. “Why am I nervous about this?”

He smiled. “Because he has our daughter hostage once a week.”

They pulled in to park, but May hesitated before taking the keys from the ignition. “It still feels weird.” She murmured, looking down.

“Daughter?” Phil asked, and when she nodded he smiled. “Yeah, me too.” It did feel strange. Strange to think that Daisy, this bright, intelligent, bold girl was actually their daughter now. Forever. “It's nice though.”

“Yeah.” Melinda whispered, a smile colouring her face too. Daisy was amazing, and she loved her more than she could ever say. She hoped that she knew.

Phil's hand covered hers. “Come on.” He said. “Time for the interrogation.”

May snorted, yanking the keys from the ignition. “He doesn't stand a chance.”

“Damn right.”

“Phil, we're in a school, I think you should tone down the language.”

He gaped at her in mock horror, delighting in the momentary laugh his reaction elicited. Even though this was far from a perfect situation, Phil couldn't help but love how close their little family was. How much Melinda and Daisy brought out that light in each other.

The walk into the school was silent, almost eerily so. Class had just gone in for the last period of the day, so the halls were entirely empty. Phil noticed that Melinda was hanging slightly behind him, letting him take the lead like she would normally do on a mission. He was the diplomatic one after all.

Coulson couldn't help but be amused by how much this felt like a mission. They were going to talk to one of Daisy's teachers, but it felt like more than that. Hell, it felt more serious than several of the missions he had been on. Then again he'd never been more scared than when he was waiting for a judge to decide whether Daisy could be their daughter or not.

This was personal.

Phil knocked on the office door. “Mister Williamson?”

The man looked up from his computer with a smile. “Mister Coulson, it's nice to meet you!” He exclaimed, standing to shake Phil's hand.

Phil smiled back thinly. “Thank you for organising this on such short notice.”

Mister Williamson waved a hand, “It's no problem, they pay me for it after all.” He extended a hand to May, “Nice to meet you!” He smiled, evidently trying not to wince from the force of May's handshake.

She released him a moment before it became awkward and was gratified to see the teacher flexing his hand to get come circulation back. He waved his other hand. “Please, have a seat.”

Phil and Melinda sat down on one side of his desk, Mister Williamson sinking into his chair on the other side. “So,” He started. “Daisy.”

Phil felt May go still beside him, clearly bottling her anger. “Mister Williamson-”

“Please, call me Jim.”

Phil swallowed. “Jim. Daisy's been having trouble with your class for a while, and we just wanted to figure this out. She loves working with computers.”

Jim sighed and leaned back in his chair. “She's good, can't deny that.” He said in a low voice. “But she doesn't listen, she's always ignoring my instructions, and she distracts the other students.”

“Sounds to me like she's bored with the classwork and needs something more advanced.” May said flatly.

He grimaced. “I can't give her more complicated work if she can't adequately complete the basic stuff, let alone pay attention.”

Melinda held herself back from snapping, glad that Phil was here to be the diplomatic one. “You already said that she's good.” He said, his voice dangerously soft. “Shouldn't you be trying to encourage that?”

Jim held up his hands. “Look, she's just way too rebellious, she thinks she's smarter than everyone else. I'm sure you have problems with her too.”

“No.” They both said in unison. “Actually she's perfect with us.” May said, raising an eyebrow. “It sounds like you don't like that she's smarter than you.”

Jim narrowed his eyes for a moment, but then laughed, loud and hollow. “Well I can see where she gets the attitude from!” He joked, failing to hide his annoyance. “And she is a smart kid, don't get me wrong, but she's just a kid. She needs to learn respect.”

Phil could feel his blood boiling, but before he could say something he might regret, Melinda spoke. “We've spent a lot of time trying to build Daisy's confidence.” She said, surprisingly calmly. “I think you're mistaking that confidence for disrespect. The last thing she needs is to be belittled in front of her peers when she's done nothing wrong.”

“I don't know what she's told you,” Jim said, somewhat defensively, “But I haven't treated her any differently than any other student. She's probably just exaggerating; you know how teenage girls can be, they find drama in everything.”

Phil clenched his fists, just barely restraining himself from standing up. “Daisy is a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them.” He said coldly. “You've already said she's smart, we all know she's great with computers, and yet you feel like you need to humiliate and demean her because of some deluded belief that she needs to learn her place? What kind of teacher are you?” Melinda squeezed his leg and he stopped talking, trying to gather himself.

Before Jim could begin the self-important tirade that May could practically see rising up in his throat, she spoke. “All we want is for Daisy to have a teacher who can help her develop her skill with computers.” She said quietly, staring him down. “Who doesn't belittle her and dock her marks because she happens to know that she's good at something. If you can't do that, we're going to have to find her a tutor who can, and you can bet we'll be filing a report with the school board about your treatment of her.”

Mercifully, Jim said nothing for a moment, and Melinda could see, beneath the anger, a flicker of shame. She stood, Phil quickly copying her. “We have to take Daisy home.” She said. “I hope you'll reconsider how you treat her.”

The two turned and left, not looking back. Before they were halfway down the hall, the bell started ringing and student spilled from the classrooms. “Let's get to the car.” Phil murmured.

* * *

Daisy fiddled with the straps of her backpack as they drove down the street. She could tell May and Phil were mad. He wasn't saying a word, and May's driving spoke volumes, though it was far from being unsafe.

She knew that they weren't mad at her. At least, they had promised they wouldn't be. Daisy bit her lip. “So... how did it go?”

May scoffed. “I don't know how you've been in his class this whole time and haven't punched him.”

Daisy smiled tentatively. “I mean, he's the teacher.” She said. “Besides, someone really awesome has been showing me how to control my emotions.”

May spat a curse in Chinese that made her two companions laugh.

Phil smiled, some of his righteous anger fading. “I think we got through to him.” He said, leaning around to look at Daisy. “Things should be okay now, and if not... well, we can find you a tutor in no time.”

Daisy hugged her backpack. “Thank you.” She murmured. “I used to think- when I heard other kids say their mom and dad could do anything, that they were just being dumb.”

She saw the way their eyes flickered at the words. More and more lately, Daisy had found herself warming to the idea. They were her parents. May was her mom and Phil was her dad. It would be okay to call them that, right?

“We can't do anything.” Phil said, choosing not to interrogate her words. “But we'll always fight for you.”

Daisy smiled to herself. “I'd fight for you guys too.”

“What do we want for dinner?” May asked, pointedly changing the subject.

Phil snorted. “Sorry, was that too much emotion at once?” He teased, gently poking her.

She batted at his hands and growled, but said nothing else.

Daisy giggled. “Indian?”

“Oooh, I've been craving butter chicken all week.” Phil groaned.

“Sure you can handle food that spicy Phil?”

“Oh shut up May.” He muttered, grinning. Phil was gratified to see Daisy smiling too, glad that their playful jabs weren't a source of anxiety for her anymore. Glad to see her smile.

Daisy met his eyes in the rearview window and was struck by the connection there. It had been there for a long time, but only now could she appreciate how strong it felt. Unbreakable even.

She and Phil went to pick up the Indian food for dinner a few hours later, and Daisy felt lighter than she had in weeks. Even if things didn't get better at school, her parents were there to help her.

Her parents.

Phil looked at the bag in his hand, grimacing. “What do you think?” He asked Daisy. “Do we need some samosas?” He grinned. “Some-mosas?”

Daisy tried really hard not to smile, and caught herself halfway between groaning and laughing. “I think I need one after that.”

He chuckled. “Anything else? I know you like mango lassi.”

“I-” Daisy caught herself before she said no on impulse. She knew that Phil didn't think of her as a drain. He wouldn't have offered if he wanted her to say no. “Uh... yeah, sure.”

When Phil handed her the bag of food and the lassi to pay, Daisy bit her lip. Now was as good a time as any. “Thanks, dad.” She muttered, so quietly that she almost hoped he wouldn't hear.

The way he became still for a moment told her that he did hear, though Phil made no other comment other than to smile and murmur, “You're welcome sweetheart.”

Daisy smiled nervously and neither spoke again until they had reached the car. Phil rifled through his pockets for the keys and Daisy shifted from foot to foot. She wanted to say something. She needed to know if this was okay, if Phil was okay with her calling him... that. She swallowed. “Hey- uh- Phil?”

Hearing the shaky way she said his name sent a shock through Phil, and before he had the time to think about it he had spun around and wrapped Daisy in a crushing embrace.

Daisy jumped at the unexpected contact, remaining somewhat stiff, clinging to the take-out bag. She didn't know what to say.

Phil sniffled. “I love you.” He murmured into her shoulder.

Daisy tremored. “So- does this mean it's okay? You're okay if I call you...”

“Of course it's okay.” He whispered. “Nothing would make me happier.”

A pang went through Daisy's heart. “I don't- I might not do it all the time.” She muttered.

Phil pulled away, wiping his eyes. “That's okay.” He said. “I-it makes me happy because you _want_ to, not because you feel like you should.”

His unabashed tears had Daisy feeling a little weepy herself. “Thank you.” She mumbled, blinking away the burn in her eyes. She swallowed. “We should- we should get going, cos like- if you start crying, I'm gonna start crying, and then the food's gonna get cold and May will be mad.”

Phil chuckled. “You're right, you're right.” He said, going for the keys again. “I think she'd be more worried than mad.”

Daisy climbed into the passenger seat, sitting the bag on her lap. “Yeah, you're right.” As they pulled out of the parking lot, she fiddled with her hands. “Do you think- I mean, if I tried calling her...”

Phil smiled warmly. “She'd love it too.” He murmured. “You know she would.”

She sighed. “I hope so. I-I know I said I didn't want to- that it didn't feel right, but... it feels different now.”

“Hey, you don't have to explain.” Phil said, shaking his head. “You changed your mind, you're allowed to do that.”

Daisy bit her lip. “It just- I feel like I should have wanted to when you guys adopted me. I mean, that's what it's meant to be, right?”

Phil smiled to himself. “Melinda and I didn't stop changing when we got married.” He said. “Not much really changed at first, we still lived together, worked together, we loved each other the same as we did before.”

“So you're saying marriage is pointless?” Daisy asked, the beginnings of a smirk tugging at her lips.

Phil scoffed. “Very funny.” He said. “No, I'm saying that it's a promise. Things always change, but marriage says that you'll always want to be family with this person. Adoption's the same. We want you no matter what.”

Daisy looked down. “I want you guys too.” She mumbled. “No matter what.”

Phil smiled. “Then we're good.”

“I'm still telling May you said marriage is pointless.”

“I didn't say that!”

* * *

The rest of the evening passed without incident. They ate dinner, chatting about nothing important, and ended up curled up on the couch together, Daisy sandwiched between her parents as they watched a dumb spy movie that they kept groaning at and correcting.

“This guy should have been dead five times over.”

“With that form he never should have been in the field in the first place.”

Daisy grinned to herself listening to them complain and felt her eyes begin to droop. She felt so warm and safe and loved. It wasn't a feeling she was used to yet, but it made her want to wrap herself up in it and never let go.

Instead, she stretched. “I'm kind of tired.” She yawned. “Might call it a night.”

May hummed. “Soccer practice in the morning.”

“Yeah.” Daisy said with a sleepy smile. She gave her a quick hug. “Goodnight.”

May returned it without thinking. “Goodnight.”

Daisy turned and wrapped her arms around Coulson now. “Night dad.” She whispered, softly enough that May wouldn't hear.

Phil smiled. “Goodnight sweetheart.”

The second Daisy's door clicked shut, Melinda crossed her arms. “So, what happened?”

Before the words had left her mouth Phil was excitedly grabbing her arms, practically bouncing in place. “ _She called me dad!”_ He whispered. “She- she called me dad and she didn't have to- she just- she did it cos she _wanted_ to, and- I think- I think she wants to _keep_ doing it, I mean- sometimes, a-and... _she called me dad!”_

Melinda felt her insides jump at the realisation, a bright smile effortlessly climbing across her face. “That's amazing Phil.” She said, keeping her voice soft to keep Daisy from overhearing. “It's a big step for her.”

Phil took her hand, pressing kisses along her knuckles. “I'm sure she's gonna try calling you mom soon.” He said quietly. “She'll be nervous though. She was scared today.”

Melinda shook her head. “It's okay if she doesn't. I'm not exactly mom material.” Phil was a dad. She'd known it the moment she met him. He had dorky interests, loved bad jokes, and was really proud of his card collection.

May knew she wasn't a typical mom. She wasn't warm, she struggled with physical contact, and she couldn't cook to save her life. That was okay. Daisy didn't have to think of her as a mom. They were family no matter what, and that was more than enough for her.

Phil pulled her into a hug. “You love your daughter.” He murmured. “You'd do anything for her. That's mom material to me.”

She sighed and shook her head. “It's okay Phil. You don't have to try to make me feel better because you won.”

He gaped at her, startled. “What do you- we're not in competition you know!”

Melinda laughed quietly. “I know.” She said. “Just- leave it alone, please. Daisy doesn't have to do something just to even the scales. That's not how this works.”

Phil pressed a kiss to her cheek. “She loves you.”

“I know.” May murmured. “And she doesn't have to do anything to prove it.”

* * *

From almost the moment Phil had told her, Melinda resolved not to make Daisy feel in any way pressured. On waking up the next morning she decided that the best way to do that right now was to pretend that Phil hadn't told her. She didn't know if Daisy wanted her to know or not, and she definitely wasn't going to bring it up.

May knew that she was Daisy's family. She was her mentor, her protector, and she was the one who most understood her nightmares. That was more than enough for her.

So she didn't act any differently than normal on that hazy Saturday morning. She got up at her usual time and made two cups of tea, leaving them to cool as she began her tai chi. Daisy stumbled blearily out of her room only a couple of minutes later, quickly shaking off her sleepiness and joining her.

May liked this. Neither of them said a word, neither of them needed to say a word. This was quiet and hidden and just the two of them. Two broken people allowing themselves this moment of connection and peace before the sun rose and the rest of the world awoke.

Just as the first gleams of sunlight started to shine through the window, Melinda and Daisy reached the end of their form, both letting out a long breath and dropping their arms. “You're getting good at this.” May murmured.

Daisy started, “You think so?” She asked, surprised. When May nodded, she smiled. “Thanks. It's all cos of you.”

May shook her head. “You've worked hard. I just point you in the right direction.”

Daisy could feel her cheeks flushing. She wasn't used to people being proud of her. “Well, thanks for teaching me.” She mumbled. _Mom._ She thought. _Just say it._ It would be so easy to say it. The word sat on her tongue, waiting to be freed, but the moment passed too quickly.

The two moved to sit by the kitchen counter and drink their cooled tea. “It's meant to be hot today.” May murmured. “I froze some water in your drink bottle, don't let me forget to bring it.” When she looked at Daisy and saw the almost unbearable affection in her eyes, she struggled not to immediately look away. Melinda knew that she wasn't good at emotions or talking, actions were her thing. Still, she also knew that Daisy needed them to be open with her. May cleared her throat. “Cereal?”

Daisy smiled. “Sure, thanks. Try not to set it on fire.”

May shot her a mock glare, paired with a little smile that Daisy seemed especially good at eliciting. “Watch it short stuff.” She said, taking two bowls from the cupboard.

Daisy snorted and leaned over the counter to grab some spoons. “You're like an inch taller than me. I'm gonna grow soon, then _you'll_ be the short one.”

“Then I'd better make the most of it now.” May grinned, playfully mussing Daisy's hair and making her splutter and laugh.

The rest of the day passed mostly without incident. Melinda watched Daisy at her soccer practice, took her for gelato afterwards, and the afternoon was spent with all three of them completing their work in the living room, Daisy curled up on the rug with a book she was reading for English class. She didn't know why, but she felt very relaxed sitting on the fluffy rug on the floor.

Phil flicked the TV on after they had cleaned up from dinner, passing Daisy the remote. “You wanna pick?”

She grinned, glancing through the channels until she found a sitcom that she liked. May remained buried in her next mission brief, puzzling over various aspects, all but ignoring the TV in the background.

Daisy sighed contentedly, leaning her head against Phil's shoulder and grinning at the show. She liked evenings with her parents the most. It always felt so relaxed and calm and safe.

The episode came to an end and Daisy stretched, standing to go to the kitchen. “Coffee?” She asked Coulson softly, noting that May was finally done with her paperwork and had settled back onto the couch.

He smiled. “No thanks, I have to sleep tonight a _little.”_

“Hey mom, do you want some tea?”

May hummed. “Yes please.” When Daisy brought her the tea, she smiled. “Thank you Daisy.”

There was something in Daisy's eyes that Melinda couldn't identify. A certain amount of uncertainty, maybe fear? Just to be sure she gave her tea a sniff. Daisy was getting good at pranks now that she wasn't scared of them.

But no, her tea smelled just the same as it always did. Everything seemed the same as it always did except for the change in Daisy's countenance as she slid down to sit on the ground, her back against the couch.

Phil coughed and slowly stood, his elbow catching May's ribs as he did so. “I'm gonna go shower.” He said, and when she frowned at him, glanced pointedly between her and Daisy, who wasn't looking.

She watched him go curiously. Phil wanted her to do something, but what? Daisy hadn't done anything wrong. She'd just made tea.

May mentally rewinded everything that had just happened. She had finished her paperwork and put it on the coffee table. Daisy had asked Phil if he wanted coffee, then asked her if she wanted tea.

Wait, what had she said?

_Hey mom, do you want some tea?_

_Hey mom..._

_Mom._

May sighed quietly and cursed herself for not noticing. She didn't know how it had slipped past her. Thinking about it now, just hearing the word from Daisy's mouth, sent a pulsing, terrifying feeling through her that she had never felt so strongly before. Her heart clenched like this was the most special thing in the world and her breath caught in her throat.

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and let her hand slide down to comb her fingers once through Daisy's hair. “Hey.”

Daisy looked up at her, sitting straighter as she did so. “Yeah?” She asked tentatively. That uncertainty was still in her eyes, but now May knew how to banish it.

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you more than anything in the world, you know that?”

Daisy trembled ever so slightly. No one had ever said that to her before. No one had ever said anything _like_ that to her before, let alone with such conviction. The way May said it was so matter-of-fact and _sure_ that she couldn't find it in herself to doubt it, even for a moment. Daisy let out a shaky sigh, fighting not to cry. “I-I love you too.” She mumbled, but said nothing else for the moment, focusing instead on not crying. May was tough, she could get through these conversations without crying like a baby. She could too.

The tiniest of sniffles caught her ear, and when Daisy looked up it was to see May unashamedly wiping her eyes. She smiled when she saw Daisy looking at her and let her hand fall down to cradle Daisy's cheek. Daisy snuggled closer to her, resting her head against her leg. “I-I kind of thought you were messing with me there.”

May smiled a little bashfully, stroking Daisy's hair. “I'm sorry.” She murmured. “I don't know how I didn't notice.”

Daisy grinned. “And you call yourself a spy.”

She shook her head. “I'm never gonna live this down.”

“Nope.” Daisy giggled.

The two watched TV for a little while in silence, neither feeling any motivation to move from their comfortable position, snuggled together closely. After a few minutes, Phil emerged from the shower, his hair wet and dressed in his pyjamas. When he saw them, he smiled. “So you finally noticed, huh?”

Daisy laughed and Melinda grumbled. “Shut up Phil.”

He chuckled and sat beside her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Don't feel bad.” Phil said with a smile. “I guess the whole mom thing is just so natural for you that you didn't think twice.”

Melinda huffed and ignored him. She wasn't having this conversation in front of Daisy, mostly because she knew that if she did, Daisy would side with Phil. Would side with that little voice inside that had somehow become bigger than all the others, saying that maybe she _could_ be a mom. Maybe she was.

Daisy yawned, her head still snuggled against May's leg.

May raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. “Time for bed?”

Daisy's kneejerk reaction was to say no. This was nice, she was comfortable, and they were all together. As sappy as it sounded, this was everything she had ever wanted.

But all of that happiness and stability and love would still be there in the morning. “I guess.” Daisy mumbled sleepily, pushing herself up.

May's hand followed her up until Daisy had completely gained her feet. She smiled at them. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Phil nodded gently. “Goodnight Daisy.”

Daisy hummed in response, turning to go to her room. For so long she hadn't thought this was even a reality. That anyone anywhere could have loving parents and a safe place to call home.

Her parents had tried so hard to prove her wrong, and she had never been more grateful.

She hesitated at her bedroom door, her heart in her throat. “Goodnight mom!” She called. “Goodnight dad! I love you!”

 


End file.
